Lucas stars as Big Brother

COMEDIAN Matt Lucas took over the role of Big Brother last night as 12 gifted contestants entered the house. Celebrity hijacker Lucas was responsible for controlling the first hours of the Celebrity Big Brother replacement. The traditional January celebrity version of the Channel 4 show has been put on hold following the race row involving Jade Goody and Shilpa Shetty in 2007.

COMEDIAN Matt Lucas took over the role of Big Brother last night as 12 gifted contestants entered the house.

Celebrity hijacker Lucas was responsible for controlling the first hours of the Celebrity Big Brother replacement.

The traditional January celebrity version of the Channel 4 show has been put on hold following the race row involving Jade Goody and Shilpa Shetty in 2007.

Instead, the house has been filled with a group of talented young people, including two circus performers, a singer-song-writer, a dancer and a teenager entrepreneur.

Little Britain star Lucas chose to instruct Scottish Youth Parliament chairman John Loughton on how to greet the other entrants, using an earpiece.

Racing driver

Forced to follow Lucas's directions, a visibly uncomfortable Loughton, 20, bemused his fellow housemates by claiming to be a racing driver, musician, a psychic and a boxer.

When introducing himself to Calista Robertson, 19, he told the singer and song-writer that he was personally responsible for writing the score to the 1960s film The Sound of Music.

Celebrity hijacker Lucas eventually decided Loughton had passed the challenge, guaranteeing him a place in the final of the show and promising the group a Chinese-style buffet to help the contestants settle in.

Other celebrities set to play puppet-master to the group include Joan Rivers, ex-footballer Ian Wright, actor Alan Cumming, and Kelly Osbourne, daughter of rocker Ozzy.